Basket construction and guard therefor.



MICHAEL F. MCANDREW, F MOUNT CARMEL, PENNSYLVANIA.

BASKET CONSTRUCTION AND GUARD THEREFOR.

Application led August 10, 1915.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, MICHAEL F. MCAN- DREW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Carmel, in the county of Northumberland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Basket Construction and Guards Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to baskets or like articles for holding infants, or merchandise, and consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts herein disclosed and particularly set forth in the accompanying claims.

The invention has for its purpose to provide a guard or protecting structure for the basket, adapted to prevent the latter from overturning when it is used as an article for holding a baby, and which has the additional function of a guard to prevent crushing of the basket and injuring its contents when the article is used for transporting merchandise.

A further purpose of the invention is to construct the basket and the guard as a single unitary structure and designing the same to the end that each will serve to reinforce the other.

The invention is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

Referring to the construction in further detail and wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the different views, l indicates the basket per se, constructed of a plurality of interwoven strips 2 of any suitable material, and 3 is the bottom thereof secured to said strips by an inner circular strip 4c and an outer circular strip 5. And a plurality of transversely disposed bars 6 are secured to and reinforce the basket bottom 3 by screws 7 or other appropriate fastening means. The basket structure is tapered toward its base after the usual manner of constructing baskets.

The guard for the basket consists of an outer and surrounding structure formed of interlapping strips 8, preferably of the same material as that employed in the basket work. The upper ends of the several strips 8 meet'with the upper ends of the basket strips 2 and are there united to form a strong Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Serial No. 44,753.

and annular rim 9 by an inner ring strip 10 and a similar outer ring strip l1. Said inner and outer ring strips are secured together and to the basket and guard strips by rivets or nails l2. The lower edges of the strips 8 are united and made rigid by an inner and an outer ring strip 13 and 14, secured after the manner of the ring strips l0 and 11. The guard body is of increasing diameter toward the base and meets Hush with the base of the basket body and in this manner gives additional support to the sides of the basket, though it essentially provides a guard to prevent the basket from overturning when the same is used to hold an infant, as will be understood. In addition to this function as a guard for the purpose stated, said guard additionally serves to prevent crushing or other injury to the basket when the latter is used for shipping merchandise of a delicate nature. And it will be seen that the basket, together with the guard, is built up as a unitary structure, and, further, that said basket and guard act to reciprocally reinforce or brace each other, thereby increasing the strength of the basket.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by United States Letters Patent is:

l. An article of the character described comprising a basket having its body portion tapering toward the base thereof, and an annular and outwardly flaring structure secured to the basket body portion around the upper marginal edge thereof, said basket adapted to rest upon its base, and the lower edge of said surrounding structure adapted to engage with the base supporting surface and provide a guard for said basket to prevent the same from overturning, substantially as set forth.

2. An article of the character described comprising a basket body having interwoven strips, and tapering toward its base portion; an annular structure surrounding said basket body comprising interwoven strips and having its upper edge portion meeting with the upper edge portion of the basket body and having its lower edge portion flush with the base of the basket body, and an inner In testimony whereof I aiix mysignature and an outer circular strip uniting the rein presence of two Witnesses.

speotive upper edges of the basket body and MICHAEL F MCANDREW surrounding structure to provide a rigid untary structure, said surrounding structure Witnesses:

proyidinga guard for the basket, substan- E.H. PARKINS,

tally 'as set forth. HrrzE MURRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

